Swift-symptoms - Take It Or Leave It - Tumblr Blog

"GREETINGS, ALL! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN, MY BROTHER?"

(X)

i’m going to let this video speak for itself. bc i don’t even know what to say anymore. i don’t know how we come back from this level of radicalization among young people to the point where holocaust denial has become the norm.

“I cannot pretend prochoice vs. prolife is about women versus babies. It isn't. It is about society versus families.

Abortion doesn't save women. It doesn't stop or fix rape. It doesn't end poverty. It doesn't stop domestic violence. It doesn't do anything except undo women's healthy biology, kill her child, and send her right back to whatever circumstances she came from.

Sure, if she just doesn't want to be pregnant, it ends pregnancy. Why doesn't she want to be pregnant though? The replies are along the lines of, "Fuck you. It doesn't matter. It is her choice and right." Ok. Thank you for telling me you care about abortion, not women.

This is what is being offered as the savior for women? This is our freedom? This is our equality? This is the answer we are being offered for children living in poverty, abuse, or neglect? Just pre-emptively guess their fate and kill them? This is what we are being offered as a way to address maternal mortality? Don't attempt to make advancements that address complications that arise in pregnancy, just blame women's biology and kill her kid?

I do not accept that this is the best we can do for women, children, or families. I do not accept that to be free, equal, and safe women have to turn against their biology and their children.”

– Robin Atkins

this took me out 😭😭

The conflict in Israel and Palestine is more complicated than any single Tumblr post can sum up and the fact that so many people are reblogging biased posts thinking that they suddenly know the full picture is harmful to everyone. For example - referring to Israel as a colonialist nation ignores the fact that prior to the establishment of the state of Israel there were Jews living in the land, it ignores the fact that unlike all other colonial countries there was no other option than Israel for the founders. Where else were the Jewish people supposed to go? United States and England where there were limits on immigration? Back to the shtetls that had been wiped out or the towns where, upon returning, they were killed? 

The conflict in Israel and Palestine is more complicated than any single Tumblr post can sum up because  the foundation of the conflict is so complicated that entire books cannot summarize the situation. 

This post is not arguing for either side and if you start a fight your comments and replies will be deleted. This post is to say that if you are arguing either side is right or wrong, that the situation is black and white, you have been misinformed and are falling victim to biased propaganda. 

Free free Palestine? Free free Palestine?

Listen to what she has to say!

from a muslim girl to who I assume is a jewish person, is it possible to support palestine without being anti semetic? because in no way am i ready to let israel do what they do to these people but i seriously don't want it to become a religion issue.

It is possible. Just remember the following:

1. Don’t deny the ethnic ties and religious significance that Jews have to the area.

2. Don’t apply double standards to Israel that you wouldn’t apply to other nations (e.g. China).

3. Don’t absolve Palestine of any wrongdoing. And for God’s sake, DON’T defend Hamas or Hezbollah.They hate all Jews.

4. Hate the government, not the civilians.

Here is some recommended reading: https://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000031#1900-1947

I support Palestine’s right to exist too, for the record. It is possible to support the rights of both nations to exist.

@abbasez

ISRAEL IS NOT A RACIST STATE: Unlike Gaza, every Israeli citizen has equal rights regardless of race, religion or gender or sexual orientation (so you won't get tossed off a roof)

THERE IS NO APARTHEID: Unlike citizens of Gaza, Israelis of all races can live anywhere, marry anyone, run for office, vote, assemble freely, pursue any occupation and worship freely.

JEWS ARE NOT WHITE: Over 62% of Israeli citizens are of Mizrahi, Arab, Ethiopian, North African or Mixed descent. 

JEWS ARE NOT COLONIZERS: Genetic, historical, religious and archaeological evidence prove that Israel is the ancestral home of the Jewish people – making our return to the land the ultimate act of “decolonization.”

JEWS DIDN’T STEAL THE LAND: In ‘48, the UN Partition divided the land into two states: one for Jews and one for Arabs. Israel accepted the plan. The Arab states didn’t and declared war.

ISRAEL DIDN’T START THE WAR: There was a ceasefire on Oct 6th when Hamas murdered, mutilated, raped and kidnapped over 1,500 Israelis. Simply put, Hamas will not stop until Israel no longer exists.

THERE IS NO GENOCIDE: “Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history – above and beyond what international law requires, and more than the U.S. did in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” - John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point (See article in bio)

THERE IS NO FAMINE: Columbia Professors Awi Federgruen & Ran Kivetz have analyzed available data and conducted research, noting that “the food supply entering Gaza is more than sufficient to feed all 2.2 million Gazans according to what is considered a normal diet in North America. They further argue that the International Criminal Court and UN have joined Hamas in blaming Israel for a “famine that never was, hoping to stop the war in Gaza.” 

How to Criticize Israel Without Being Anti-Semitic

If you’ve spent any time discussing or reading about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I guarantee you’ve heard some variation of this statement:

OMG, Jews think any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic! 

In the interests of this post, I’m going to assume that the people who express such sentiments are acting in good faith and really don’t mean to cause pain to or problems for Diaspora Jewry.  For those good-faith people, I present some guidelines for staying on the good side of that admittedly murky line, along with the reasoning why the actions I list are problematic.  (And bad-faith people, you can no longer plead ignorance if you engage in any of these no-nos.  Consider yourselves warned.)  In no particular order:

Don’t use the terms “bloodthirsty,” “lust for Palestinian blood,” or similar.  Historically, Jews have been massacred in the belief that we use the blood of non-Jews (particularly of children) in our religious rituals.  This belief still persists in large portions of the Arab world (largely because white Europeans deliberately spread the belief among Arabs) and even in parts of the Western world.  Murderous, inhumane, cruel, vicious–fine.  But blood…just don’t go there.  Depicting Israel/Israelis/Israeli leaders eating children is also a no-no, for the same reason.

Don’t use crucifixion imagery. Another huge, driving motivation behind anti-Semitism historically has been the belief that the Jews, rather than the Romans, crucified Jesus.  As in #1, this belief still persists.  There are plenty of other ways to depict suffering that don’t call back to ancient libels.

Don’t demand that Jews publicly repudiate the actions of settlers and extremists.  People who make this demand are assuming that Jews are terrible people or undeserving of being heard out unless they “prove” themselves acceptable by non-Jews’ standards.  (It’s not okay to demand Palestinians publicly repudiate the actions of Hamas in order to be accepted/trusted, either.)

Don’t say “the Jews” when you mean Israel.  I think this should be pretty clear.  The people in power in Israel are Jews, but not all Jews are Israelis (let alone Israeli leaders).

Don’t say “Zionists” when you mean Israel. Zionism is no more a dirty word than feminism.  It is simply the belief that the Jews should have a country in part of their ancestral homeland where they can take refuge from the anti-Semitism and persecution they face everywhere else.  It does not mean a belief that Jews have a right to grab land from others, a belief that Jews are superior to non-Jews, or any other such tripe, any more than feminism means hating men.  Unless you believe that Israel should entirely cease to exist, you are yourself Zionist.  Furthermore, using “Zionists” in place of “Israelis” is inaccurate and harmful.  The word “Zionists” includes Diasporan Jews as well (most of whom support a two-state solution and pretty much none of whom have any influence on Israel’s policies) and is used to justify anti-Semitic attacks outside Israel (i.e., they brought it on themselves by being Zionists).  And many of the Jews IN Israel who are most violent against Palestinians are actually anti-Zionist–they believe that the modern state of Israel is an offense against God because it isn’t governed by halakha (traditional Jewish religious law).  Be careful with the labels you use.

Don’t call Jews you agree with “the good Jews.”  Imposing your values on another group is not okay.  Tokenizing is not okay.  Appointing yourself the judge of what other groups can or should believe is not okay.

Don’t use your Jewish friends or Jews who agree with you as shields.  (AKA, “I can’t be anti-Semitic, I have Jewish friends!” or “Well, Jew X agrees with me, so you’re wrong.”)  Again, this behavior is tokenizing and essentially amounts to you as a non-Jew appointing yourself arbiter over what Jews can/should feel or believe.  You don’t get to do that.

Don’t claim that Jews are ethnically European.  Jews come in many colors–white is only one.  Besides, the fact that many of us have some genetic mixing with the peoples who tried to force us to assimilate (be they German, Indian, Ethiopian, Italian…) doesn’t change the fact that all our common ancestral roots go back to Israel.

Don’t claim that Jews “aren’t the TRUE/REAL Jews.“  Enough said.

Don’t claim that Jews have no real historical connection to Israel/the Temple Mount.  Archaeology and the historical record both establish that this is false.

Don’t accuse Diasporan Jews of dual loyalties or treason.  This is another charge that historically has been used to justify persecution and murder of Jews.  Having a connection to our ancestral homeland is natural.  Having a connection to our co-religionists who live there is natural.  It is no more treasonous for a Jew to consider the well-being of Israel when casting a vote than for a Muslim to consider the well-being of Islamic countries when voting.  (Tangent: fuck drone strikes.  End tangent.)

Don’t claim that the Jews control the media/banks/country that isn’t Israel.  Yet another historical anti-Semitic claim is that Jews as a group intend to control the world and try to achieve this aim through shadowy, sinister channels.  There are many prominent Jews in the media and in the banking industry, yes, but they aren’t engaged in any kind of organized conspiracy to take over those industries, they simply work in those industries.  The phrase “the Jews control” should never be heard in a debate/discussion of Israel.

Don’t depict the Magen David (Star of David) as an equivalent to the Nazi swastika.  The Magen David represents all Jews–not just Israelis, not just people who are violent against Palestinians, ALL JEWS.  When you do this, you are painting all Jews as violent, genocidal racists.  DON’T.

Don’t use the Holocaust/Nazism/Hitler as a rhetorical prop.  The Jews who were murdered didn’t set foot in what was then Palestine, let alone take part in Israeli politics or policies.  It is wrong and appropriative to try to use their deaths to score political points.  Genocide, racism, occupation, murder, extermination–go ahead and use those terms, but leave the Holocaust out of it.

In visual depictions (i.e., political cartoons and such), don’t depict Israel/Israelis as Jewish stereotypes.  Don’t show them in Chassidic, black-hat garb.  Don’t show them with exaggerated noses or frizzled red hair or payus (earlocks).  Don’t show them with horns or depict them as the Devil.  Don’t show them cackling over/hoarding money.  Don’t show them drinking blood or eating children (see #1).  Don’t show them raping non-Jewish women.  The Nazis didn’t invent the tropes they used in their propaganda–all of these have been anti-Semitic tropes going back centuries.  (The red hair trope, for instance, goes back to early depictions of Judas Iscariot as a redhead, and the horns trope stems from the belief that Jews are the Devil’s children, sent to destroy the world as best we can for our “father.”)

Don’t use the phrase “the chosen people” to deride or as proof of Jewish racism.  When Jews say we are the chosen people, we don’t mean that we are biologically superior to others or that God loves us more than other groups.  Judaism in fact teaches that everyone is capable of being a righteous, Godly person, that Jews have obligations to be ethical and decent to “the stranger in our midst,” and that non-Jews don’t get sent to some kind of damnation for believing in another faith.  When we say we’re the chosen people, we mean that, according to our faith, God gave us extra responsibilities and codes of behavior that other groups aren’t burdened with, in the form of the Torah.  That’s all it means.

Don’t claim that anti-Semitism is eradicated or negligible.  It isn’t.  In fact, according to international watchdog groups, it’s sharply on the rise.  (Which sadly isn’t surprising–anti-Semitism historically surges during economic downturns, thanks to the belief that Jews control the banks.)  This sort of statement is extremely dismissive and accuses us of lying about our own experiences.

Don’t say that since Palestinians are Semites, Jews/Israelis are anti-Semitic, too.  You do not get to redefine the oppressions of others, nor do you get to police how they refer to that oppression.  This also often ties into #8.  Don’t do it.  Anti-Semitism has exclusively meant anti-Jewish bigotry for a good century plus now.  Coin your own word for anti-Palestinian oppression, or just call it what it is: racism mixed with Islamophobia.

Don’t blow off Jews telling you that what you’re saying is anti-Semitic with some variant of the statement at the top of this post.  Not all anti-Israel speech is anti-Semitic (a lot of it is valid, much-deserved criticism), but some certainly is.  Actually give the accusation your consideration and hear the accuser out.  If they fail to convince you, that’s fine.  But at least hear them out (without talking over them) before you decide that.

I’m sure this isn’t a comprehensive list, but it covers all the hard-and-fast rules I can think of.  (I welcome input for improving it.)

But wait!  Why should I care about any of this?  I’m standing up for people who are suffering!

You should care because nonsense like the above makes Jews sympathetic to the Palestinian plight wary and afraid of joining your cause.  You should care because, unfortunately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has correlated to an uptick in anti-Semitic attacks around the world, attacks on Jews who have no say in Israeli politics, and this kind of behavior merely aggravates that, whether you intend it to or not. 

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a real minefield in that it’s a clash between oppressed people of color and an ethnoreligious group that is dominant in Israel but marginalized and brutalized elsewhere (often nowadays on the exact grounds that they share ethnoreligious ties with the people of Israel), so it’s damned hard to toe the line of being socially aware and sensitive to both groups.  I get that.  But I think it is possible to toe that line, and I hope this post helps with that.  (And if a Palestinian makes a similar list of problematic arguments they hear targeted at them, I’d be happy to reblog it, too.)

So, TL;DR version:

Do go ahead and criticize Israel.

Don’t use anti-Semitic stereotypes or tropes.

Don’t use overly expansive language that covers Jews as a whole and not just Israel.

Don’t use lies to boost your claims.

Do engage Jews in conversation on the issues of Israel and of anti-Semitism, rather than simply shutting them down for disagreeing.

Do try to be sensitive to the fact that, fair or not, many people take verbal or violent revenge for the actions of Israelis on Diasporan Jews, and Diasporan Jews are understandably frightened and upset by this.

May there be peace in our days.

how liberal men think they can help women's rights:

how men can actually help women's rights:

source

why isn’t arab colonization talked about nearly as much as it should be?

millions of people have been murdered and oppressed and forced to assimilate and so many people now just don’t talk about it??

I'm a Jew and I'm pro-palestine. They don't deserve to be slaughtered indiscriminately.

Awesome! I'm glad we agree.

Pointing out antisemitism in multiple places in society, including the PalSoc movement, does not inherently mean support for any war or politician.

one of my favourite authors (Neil Gaiman) just got accused of sexual assault and while I’m reserving my thoughts for more information to come out, people are already using the “he’s a Zionist, this is typical” “typical Zionist behaviour” “he believes Israel should exist” rhetoric. Like why does his Zionism and Jewishness have to come into play

I was just looking into this and it doesn’t look like legitimate accusations to me. apparently there’s a lot of people who feel that way. the story broke from a media outlet that is far right, Boris Johnson’s sister is the main “investigative journalist” on the case, and they use the article to promote their podcast episodes about which is behind a paywall. there’s a lot of theories that this might be a smear campaign bc Gaiman is pro trans, etc., and allegedly the outlet has a history of faking things and blatantly lying in articles. until it’s confirmed and fact checked by a legitimate news source, I’m not buying it.

it doesn’t surprise me that leftists would use this as a “gotcha” for their antisemitic rants. they’ll leverage literally anything to try and make their side look better, bc that’s all it is to them. it’s just a big war of optics.

Hundreds protest for a hostage deal outside the Ministry of Defense, following the announcement regarding the death of four Israeli hostages source

The tragedy of Gaza was caused by people pretending it is humane to leave people under a bloodthirsty dictatorship

Palestians have received greater international aid per capita than Europe during the Marshall Plan.

But because they are ruled by rich mad men with disregard to human life, including the lives of own civilians, that couldn't be enough to uplift them.

Which was always obvious, but people insisted on it not being obvious.

Why are you anti feminism?

Because feminism spreads misandry and man-hating within first world countries. They ignore male issues, male cries for help, etc, despite “being for equality”!

will the internet stop making up stupid words that don’t mean anything already because shit like this exhausts me frankly

antisemitism is very present in the LGBT community, making many jews feel unsafe in places where they should feel welcome. do your research about antisemitism, talk to LGBT jews, learn dogwhistles, stop using nazi imagery as “pride symbols” and please listen to jews. 

It will never cease to amaze me how people can casually say “Israel is a colonizer state” when they literally have ancient ties to the land??? There aren’t any Palestinian artifacts that have been uncovered, unless you count any Roman shit, since they gave the land that name in the first place.

Sure, we can all have our holy sites there, whether they’re Muslim, Jewish or Christian. Never mind that Jews are straight up barred from some of their own holy sites.

But to deny the fact that Jews and Israelis are indigenous to the land is such a misinformed notion…

I’m sorry, I just can’t understand people who try to justify the actions of a terrorist group. I have legitimately fought with people online and irl who truly believe Hamas is a “resistance group who only wants the best for Gaza”.

No. Wake up. They care about murdering Jews and demolishing Israel. They do not care about Palestinians. If you are on the same side as the terrorists, then I don’t understand how you think you’re on the right side of history.

I care about the innocent children in Palestine who have to live under a terrorist organization. I have absolutely no sympathy for Hamas or the people who support them.

Things like this should not happen 😔

This is heartbreaking 💔 and very sad .

I feel for this mother 💔

This is also why Jews needs a Jewish state !

You are loved.

Reference here

This blog stands against and rejects antisemitism in all of its insidious forms, stands with the Jewish people, and with the Jewish right to self determination in their ancestral homeland of Israel 🇮🇱